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‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Destination: Skaro’, ‘The Star Beast’, ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ and ‘The Giggle’

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– – – BRAND NEW REVIEWS – – –

Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

This is probably what you’ve been looking forward to. 😀 Welcome to the David Tennant/Fourteenth Doctor era of ‘Doctor Who’ in the ‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon on ‘Bradley’s Basement’. This consists of the 60th anniversary specials that were shown on BBC TV in the UK and on Disney+ in other parts of the world from November to December 2023. There’s the mini-episode ‘Destination: Skaro’, which was shown on Children in Need night in November 2023, and there’s the three 60th anniversary specials themselves, including ‘The Star Beast’, ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ and ‘The Giggle’. All the specials are by Russell T. Davies (with ‘The Star Beast’ being from a story by Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons), and they star David Tennant as the Fourteenth Doctor and Catherine Tate as Donna Noble. There are also special guest stars like Neil Patrick Harris as the Toymaker and Yasmin Finney as Rose Noble, Donna’s daughter. There was a lot of hype in the build-up to the 60th anniversary specials on TV. Afterwards, lots of ‘Doctor Who’ fans and audience members have found them satisfying. Where do I stand on this? Did the 60th anniversary specials of ‘Doctor Who’ by RTD fulfil my expectations? ‘Destination: Skaro’ can be checked out on BBC iPlayer or YouTube, and ‘The Star Beast’, ‘Wild Blue Yonder’ and ‘The Giggle’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer in the UK or on DVD, Blu-ray and Disney+ in other parts of the world. Continue reading →

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘The Power of the Doctor’

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– – – BRAND NEW REVIEW – – –

Merry Christmas everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

How fitting that on Christmas Day today, for the first time in the ‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon on ‘Bradley’s Basement’, I’m sharing a brand-new review on a ‘Doctor Who’ story in the new TV series. It’s time to check out the third of the three Series 13 Specials of ‘Doctor Who’, which happens to be the BBC Centenary Special to celebrate 100 years of the BBC in 2022, and it’s the final story in the Jodie Whittaker/Chris Chibnall era of the new TV show. Let’s check out ‘The Power of the Doctor’ by Chris Chibnall, starring Jodie Whittaker as the Thirteenth Doctor, Mandip Gill as Yaz, John Bishop as Dan, Janet Fielding as Tegan, Sophie Aldred as Ace, Sacha Dhawan as the Master, Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, Jacob Anderson as Vinder, Patrick O’Kane as Ashad and plenty more special guest stars. There are also Daleks and Cybermen in this special ‘Doctor Who’ story, both voiced by Nicholas Briggs. In my brand-new review for ‘The Power of the Doctor’, I’m helped by Timelord007, WilliamsFan92, Wolfie and AFJ Kernow. Is ‘The Power of the Doctor’ a worthy conclusion to the Jodie Whittaker/Chris Chibnall era of ‘Doctor Who’? Did it satisfy me on all levels? ‘The Power of the Doctor’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading →

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Twice Upon a Time’

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Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

It’s time to check out the final story of the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era of ‘Doctor Who’ and it’s the final story of the Steven Moffat era. Here we are on the 2017 Christmas Special called ‘Twice Upon a Time’ by Steven Moffat. As well as Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor, he gets to meet and team up with David Bradley as the First Doctor. David Bradley played William Hartnell in the 2013 docu-drama ‘An Adventure In Space and Time’. Since then, he’s played the First Doctor more than once in the Big Finish audios of ‘Doctor Who’. Also in ‘Twice Upon a Time’, there’s the return of Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts and the introduction of Mark Gatiss as the Captain. There are guest returns of Rusty the Dalek from ‘Into the Dalek’, Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald and Matt Lucas as Nardole. There are also small appearances of the First Doctor’s companions, including Polly (played by Anneke Wills/Lily Travers) and Ben (played by Michael Craze/Jared Garfield). With this being the last story of the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era, does ‘Twice Upon a Time’ conclude it on reassuring and satisfying notes? ‘Twice Upon a Time’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading →

SPOILER FREE Reaction to ‘The Star Beast’ (Doctor Who)

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‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘World Enough and Time’/’The Doctor Falls’

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Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

We come now to the two-part season finale in Series 10 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series, starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor, Pearl Mackie as Bill and Matt Lucas as Nardole. This is ‘World Enough and Time’/’The Doctor Falls’ by Steven Moffat. This two-part adventure has Michelle Gomez as Missy actively involved in the season finale for a change, and there’s the return of John Simm as the Master, who was last seen in ‘The End of Time’ with David Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. There’s also the return of the Mondasian Cybermen, who made their debut in ‘The Tenth Planet’ with William Hartnell as the First Doctor, and they’ve been in the Big Finish audio story ‘Spare Parts’ with Peter Davison as the Fifth Doctor. Clearly, ‘World Enough and Time’/’The Doctor Falls’ is supposed to be a dramatic and emotional finale to Series 10, especially considering what happens to our three main heroes: the Twelfth Doctor, Bill and Nardole. Do I think this two-part story is worthy enough to be considered a dramatic and emotional finale in Series 10 of the new TV series? ‘World Enough and Time’/’The Doctor Falls’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading →

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Hell Bent’

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Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

And here we are on the season finale of Series 9 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This is also the third and final episode of the three-episode story arc that depicts the end of Series 9. It’s time for us to check out ‘Hell Bent’ by Steven Moffat, starring Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor. There’s the resolution of Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald and her death in Series 9 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. There’s also the return of the Time Lords and Gallifrey. This means the episode has special guest stars like Donald Sumpter as Rassilon, the Time Lord President – previously played by Timothy Dalton in ‘The End of Time’. There’s also Ken Bones as the General, who made his debut in ‘The Day of the Doctor’ and he soon regenerates into T’nia Miller in the episode. There’s the return of Clare Higgins as Ohila, who previously appeared in ‘The Magician’s Apprentice’, and there’s the final appearance (for now) of Maise Williams as Ashildr. The story arc featured throughout Series 9 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series has been about the mysterious Hybrid. Is the story arc resolved in a satisfying manner in this episode? ‘Hell Bent’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading →

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Heaven Sent’

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Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

We’re now on the second episode of the three-episode story arc in Series 9 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. It’s time for us to check out ‘Heaven Sent’ by Steven Moffat. Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor is now alone, since Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald was killed off at the end of ‘Face the Raven’. 😦 This is a unique ‘Doctor Who’ episode in the new TV series, since it mostly features Peter Capaldi as the Doctor who is trying to get out of a waterlocked castle. The only other person that’s in the episode is a shrouded creature called the Veil, played by Jami Reid-Quarrell, who is pursuing the Doctor in the castle. There’s also Jenna Coleman as Clara appearing to the Twelfth Doctor as a vision. ‘Heaven Sent’ is arguably one of Steven Moffat’s best episodes in the new TV series and it’s possibly one of the best in the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era. This and ‘The Zygon Invasion’/’The Zygon Inversion’ are rated highly. Is ‘Heaven Sent’ a ‘Doctor Who’ episode worth talking about? Do I still hold it in high regard, after watching it for the first time on BBC TV on the 28th of November 2015? ‘Heaven Sent’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading →

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Dark Water’/Death In Heaven’

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Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

And here we are on the two-part season finale in Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This is ‘Dark Water’/’Death In Heaven’ by Steven Moffat. Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink gets killed off in the story, and he finds himself in an afterlife called the Nethersphere. Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald try to locate him and they soon meet up with Michelle Gomez as Missy, who unveils her true identity in the story. There’s the return of the ‘Nightmare In Silver’ Cybermen, who are a part of Missy’s plans in the Nethersphere. And there’s the return of U.N.I.T., including Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart and Ingrid Oliver as Osgood, who help the Doctor in thwarting Missy and the Cybermen. This ‘Doctor Who’ story has been praised highly by the critics, especially with regards to Michelle Gomez as Missy and the story’s darker and mature themes. Is this an assessment and an opinion I agree with? Is this a ‘Doctor Who’ story that truly satisfies me when it comes to revisiting it now and again? ‘Dark Water’/’Death In Heaven’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading →

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Into the Dalek’

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Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

Here we are on the second episode of the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era as well as Series 8 of the new ‘Doctor Who’ TV series. This is ‘Into the Dalek’ by Phil Ford and Steven Moffat. In this episode, Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor has Jenna Coleman as Clara join him on an adventure where they go inside a Dalek. The Doctor also asks Clara, “Am I good man?”, which forms part of the Twelfth Doctor’s journey throughout Series 8. This episode features guest stars like Zawe Ashton as Journey Blue and Michael Smiley as Colonel Morgan Blue, who get involved with the Dalek that seems sick and wishes for all Daleks to be destroyed. Incidentally, the Dalek ends up being called Rusty in the episode. We’re also introduced to Samuel Anderson as Danny Pink, who becomes Clara’s love interest in Series 8 and he’s the new mathematics teacher at Coal Hill School where Clara works. There’s also Nigel Betts as Mr. Armitage at Coal Hill School and we have another appearance of Michelle Gomez as Missy in the TV series. Is ‘Into the Dalek’ a worthy episode to check out in Series 8? ‘Into the Dalek’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading →

‘Doctor Who’ 60th Anniversary Marathon – ‘Deep Breath’

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Hello everyone! 🙂

Welcome to ‘Bradley’s Basement’ blog and I’m Tim Bradley!

It’s time for us to begin the Peter Capaldi/Twelfth Doctor era of ‘Doctor Who’ and we’re starting off with the first episode of Series 8 in the new TV series called ‘Deep Breath’ by Steven Moffat. I saw this ‘Doctor Who’ episode on TV when I was on holiday in Scotland in August 2014. This episode was also released at cinemas. Joining Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor is Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald, who is coming to terms with the newly regenerated Doctor. There’s the return of the Paternoster Gang, including Neve McIntosh as Madame Vastra, Catrin Stewart as Jenny and Dan Starkey as Strax. There’s also the debut of Michelle Gomez as Missy at the end of the episode. Lately, I’ve seen a video clip of this episode on YouTube featuring a phone call conversation between Clara and a certain surprise character. There was a lot of hype surrounding Peter Capaldi’s arrival as the Twelfth Doctor, especially in the promotion that built up to Series 8 in 2014, including a World Tour. Is this reflected in the ‘Doctor Who’ episode? Is ‘Deep Breath’ a worthwhile ‘Doctor Who’ episode? ‘Deep Breath’ can be checked out on DVD, Blu-ray and BBC iPlayer. Continue reading →